Henrico man accused of raping 10-year-old girl

A Henrico man is behind bars, accused of sex crimes against a 10-year-old girl. 22-year-old Jonathan Westinghouse is charged with statutory rape and sodomy.

A friend of both the suspect and victim who wanted to remain anonymous said she's known the suspect for years and has always worried about his relationship with children.

"He has a lot of experience with children," she said. "He knows how to get close to them and how to get their trust."

According to court records, the suspect's girlfriend is the one who found out about the alleged abuse and told Henrico police.

In her request for a protective order, she writes that once she reported the abuse, Westinghouse threatened to beat her up.

Our interviewee says that once Westinghouse was arrested, his "close" relationship with the victim made sense.

"He wanted to spend time alone her," she said. "It was very odd, since it wasn't her older brother or father."

According to the group Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN), it's a red flag when an adult wants to spend lots of alone time with a child.

Also, more than 90-percent of child predators know their victims, it's not the stranger danger situation child are often taught.

Westinghouse will be in court April 17.

Police say Westinghouse is known to frequent roller skating
rinks in the area. If you have any additional information about Westinghouse, call Henrico Police at (804) 501-5000 or Crime Stoppers at
(804) 780-1000.

The Virginia Flaggers have released a response after Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney asked the Monument Avenue Commission to "include an examination of the removal and/or relocation of some or all of the Confederate statues."

The Virginia Flaggers have released a response after Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney asked the Monument Avenue Commission to "include an examination of the removal and/or relocation of some or all of the Confederate statues."